Fire under the Northern Lights
by maarit
Summary: CEO Eric Northman, Sweden, needs an assistant. Guess who's offered the job? Sookie discovers a new world, cold, dark and still full of passion! Rated M for smut and abuse. AH, slightly OOC
1. Chapter 1

The seemingly never-ending cab-ride would soon be over, or so she could only hope. Sookie had been huddling in the cramped back seat of the car for almost four hours now, and she could hardly feel her buttocks anymore, not to say anything about her acute need to pee. She tried to wiggle her butt a bit to regain some blood flow to her behind, but all the suitcases and bags that shared the tiny space with her would not allow much movement. She sighed out of deep discomfort and peered into the rear-view mirror into the eyes of the driver. "Um, excuse me, but I was wondering if we are far from the house still?"

"Only a couple of minutes, now" answered the man as he took her pained expression in, looking back at her through the mirror. "We are already on the property, you see, at least that is what the map is telling me. I have never been this far out before." His accent was heavy, but seemed calm and certain, even though Sookie could tell that he wasn't used to talking English. "I could pull over if you needed to stretch your legs or something…"

"Nah, that won't be necessary, we might as well just get this over with." She couldn't help the weakness in her voice, nor the panic she knew her eyes were conveying to the driver. This was supposed to be the adventure of her life, and she should be enjoying herself, but all she could think about was how far away from her home she was. The distance she had put between herself and her hometown of Bon Temps, Louisiana, USA in the last 46 hours was mindboggling. One week ago, she had only had a faint idea of where in the world Sweden was located, and now, here she was, cramped up in a cab, winding about the northern part of said country, nothing but forests along the narrow road. "What have I gotten myself into?" she mumbled to herself.

Three weeks ago, her whole world had been turned upside down in the flash of merely one hour. She had caught her steady boyfriend Bill in the act of infidelity while paying him a surprise visit at his office in downtown Bon Temps. She had walked in on him, as he was getting a blow-job from his secretary and her, more notably, long-time friend Lorena. Sookie realized afterwards the surprise visit had been her own subconscious telling her what she needed to know, and Sookie had turned in the doorway after announcing to Bill that she would leave her key to his place in the mailbox after she had collected the few items of hers that she needed. Lorena she hadn't ever bothered to look at before closing the door behind her, and neither Lorena nor Bill had made any attempts at stopping her. _Hard to run after someone with your penis in someone's mouth and your trousers at your ankles_, Sookie had thought to herself.

The same evening she had e-mailed her contact at NorthCorp, accepting their offer of a position as assistant to the CEO, Eric Northman, and she had booked her ticket to Sweden. Sookie had worked for the Shreveport-office of NorthCorp for about two years now, and had been head-hunted, and offered the new job in Sweden by Pamela Korp, one of the co-owners of NorhCorp. Why Ms. Korp had chosen her, she had no idea, but at this point Sookie just didn't care, the opportunity to get the hell away from Bon Temps and therefor Bill and Lorena had been just too convenient to turn down.

So, here she was, out in the northern part of Sweden, a harsh and barren part as it seemed. After getting in the cab at the Kallax airport outside of Luleå, she had seen nothing but miles and miles of pines and spruces as far as her eyes could make out. It was late September, and the few leaves that remained on the even fewer birch-trees were a golden and red splash of color in the giant sea of green. The sky had begun to darken earlier than she had expected, and they had been touring the countryside in complete darkness for the last two hours now. The narrow highway seemed almost deserted, there were no streetlights or light of any kind and Sookie could feel the call of the wild and the wicked through her entire body. Her imagination had no problems with coming up with shadows of wolves and bears alongside the road.

Sookie was startled out of her ghostly fantasies as the cab came to a screeching halt, and she could see a huge, no _enormous_ animal crossing the road just a few inches in front of the car. She couldn't hold a shriek back, but the driver remained calm as he yet again met her eyes in the mirror. "Just a moose, Miss. No need to worry." Well, she had no reason not to trust him, but the sudden stop and the girly shriek had done nothing but increase her need to pee, and now there was no way in hell she was getting out of the car to relive it. That giant of an animal could be skulking out there in the darkness, just waiting to sink its antlers into her. The driver put the car into gear and slowed forward as Sookie tried to sooth both her pounding heart and her bladder.

Not long after she suddenly saw lights shining through the branches, and the cab turned left into a narrow driveway with glittering lamps on both sides. It came to a stop outside a large red house, how large it was she couldn't really tell in the surrounding darkness, but at least a few windows were lit, and the yellow light seemed welcoming after hours in the dark. The gravel of the driveway creaked under her foot as the exited the cab with a sigh of relief. She was jet-lagged and sore, hungry as hell and had never needed to pee more badly, and the warm pools of light spilling onto her were a welcome sight. She figured there had to be at least one bathroom in there, and she was determined to find it. And soon.

The front door swung open, and a man of uncertain age appeared. He wasn't tall, but built in a square. He had brownish hair neither short nor long, and light stubble covered his jaw. Sookie extended her hand as he approached, and he took it in a firm and warm grip. "Sookie Stackhouse, pleased to meet'ya" she said and beamed at him, not forgetting her southern-bell manners. He returned her smile in a more shy way, not completely meeting her eyes and said with a raspy voice "I'm Janne, welcome to Varglyan."

Sookie pondered about just how long manners and decency would have her wait before she could possibly ask for the nearest bathroom, when Janne said "Please follow me, I'll show you to your rooms so you'll have a chance to freshen up before seeing Eric" and that sentence alone instantly made her forthcoming about the guy. She reached for her purse in the backseat of the car then started after him through the door. She had no time to take in her surroundings as she followed Janne up a steady staircase and into a cozy hallway. "The first door here on the left takes you to one of the sitting rooms, but your bedroom and bathroom is at the end of the hall," Janne said, and then added "You have that part of the house to yourself, but I expect Eric will fill you in on the details when you see him. " He opened the door to what appeared to be her bedroom. The room was dominated by the huge windows completely covering the farthest side of the room, including a glass door, which she assumed led out on a balcony or something similar. Closer to her, to her left was a beautiful dark wooden four-post bed with gorgeous linen and pillows. To her right, a simple door, also wood, looked promising. Sookie glanced at her tour guide, he nodded, saying "trough there's the bathroom. I'll wait for you downstairs."

She wasted no time after Janne had left her room, and went in. The sigh of relief was audible throughout northern Sweden, she thought. The bathroom wasn't big, bur sufficient, and to her surprise and joy there was a bathtub in there. The prospect of soaking in a hot, bubbly bath sometime in the near future lifted Sookies sprits considerably. Her own pale face met her gaze in the mirror as she washed her hands, and she splashed some water on her cheeks, gently pinching them to get some color. Her usual ponytail of long blond hair was looking a bit messy so she straightened it and went downstairs, anxious to meet her new boss. _Sweet Jesus, shepherd of Judea!_ Sookie skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs. She had to blink her eyes, pick up her jaw of the floor, and steady her heartbeat after laying eyes on the man standing at the end of the staircase. _He had to be a god. Thor of Valhalla, perhaps?_

He was tall. He was muscular. He was blond. And he was absolutely fucking hot. Sookie had to stifle a moan at the sight of him, and she could only hope that this wasn't her new boss, because if he was… Well, let's just say that the working environment would be steamy.

He turned to face her, and when his eyes locked on to hers, blazing blue and deep as the ocean she had travelled across to be here, she gasped. None of them spoke. _Oh my god. OH MY GOD!_ She thought and desperately tried to remember how to move so she could get herself safely down the stairs. She couldn't look away, he had her trapped. He cocked an eyebrow and smiled the sexiest smile she had ever been on the receiving end of, and said "my new assistant, I assume?" with a rich and deep manly voice.

"Um… Eh… Yeah…" She had forgotten her ability to form a coherent sentence. She took a deep breath, mentally shaking herself. "I'm Sookie. Sookie Stackhouse." _Phew, at least I managed to remember my name. _She beamed at him, and started down the stairs.

"I'm Eric. Eric Northman."


	2. Chapter 2

_I DO NOT OWN THESE CARACTERS, I only play around with them. Reviews are ALWAYS welcome, And I am in need of some serious beta-help! Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

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><p><em>I am SO screwed<em>, Sookie thought. _So, so SCREWED._ Her boss, Eric Northman, was by far the most beautiful and sexy man she had ever seen. Everything about him was perfect, from his short, blond hair all the way down his considerable height to his bare feet (huge as they were). She took him in, all of him, and felt her cheeks flush as he did the same to her. He was wearing a snug-fitted short-sleeved black shirt and dark blue jeans, hung low. His gaze dropped, and as he turned from her motioning her to follow, she got a perfect view of his equally perfect ass. Another mental shake later, she managed to command her body to start moving, and she trailed him into a living room, dominated by a stone fireplace with a blazing fire going on. The walls of the room were painted in eggshell-white and the couches were leather, dark and expensive. Without a word, he directed her to sit in one couch, as he sat down in an armchair opposite her. While the soft leather of the couch seemed to swallow her up, he looked like he could rule a country from his seat. She was tired, jet-lagged and hungry as hell, and sitting opposite this gorgeous man didn't help her ability to form coherent sentences, or ever single words for that matter. Sookie had no idea of what to say, so she stayed silent. Eric locked his eyes to hers again, and she felt like a big-eyed doe staring into the headlights of an approaching car.

"So you made it here ok?" Eric's voice sounded hoarse when he finally spoke. "How do you like Sweden so far?"

"So far" she answered him "I like it a lot. Everyone's been real friendly and helpful. Thank God most seem to speak English. I bought a dictionary before I left Bon Temps, but I'm afraid my knowledge of Swedish is pitiful, to say the least."

"You'll get the hang of it, I'm sure. As my assistant you will obviously have to learn eventually, but much of my business is conducted in English, so the language will be no issue. I wouldn't have settled on an American assistant otherwise." He paused, and swept his gaze over her body and returned to her eyes. "Pam holds you in high esteem."

She wasn't sure of what to answer to that, so she just nodded with a smile. "Mr. Northman could I…"

"Eric."

"Um… Eric" she could feel herself blush just by saying his name. What was it about him? Sookie felt like she was about to lose it, so she gave herself another mental shake before continuing. "Mr. Northman, Um, Eric, I was just wondering… Where exactly will I be working?"

"Here, of course" He didn't seem surprised by her question. "Look, Sookie… May I call you Sookie? I know that this might seem a bit odd to you, but I do most part of my business from here, because I like it here. This house is both my home and my office, and it will be to you too." He looked a bit sheepish as he added "I know we are far out, but everything we need is right here. Janne is my only other employee living here, well… um… not in the house, he's got… I mean, he lives in a cottage a few minutes in to the forest…" Eric's voice seemed to faint a bit and he seemed to be… Blushing? Could that be? Sookie was bewildered. What is he…? Then it daunted on her. Her boss had just told her that they would not only be working together at this house, they would both live here… alone. No one else. Just her and the big blond Viking God. Yikes.

After some small talk, he bid her to follow him around, for the grand tour of the villa. He showed her the office-areas first, where she would have a large space just outside his office, which was just huge and impressive all the way. He made sure she understood how to handle the different computer programs, fax and telephone lines. He proceeded up to her part of the house, opening the door to the sitting room next to her bedroom. "This is your area, to use at your own comfort. There's a plasma-screen hidden behind that panel" he pointed with a large, large hand. _Was everything big and_ _huge with this guy?_ Sookie couldn't help but wonder and she felt herself flush yet again._ I wonder if something else is big as well? And I wonder if killing that wonder right now would not be the smart thing to do?_ Suddenly, Sookie could feel the world around her spin and shift, and the next thing she knew, she was laying on the floor, huge arms safely wrapped around her and staring into a wide ocean of blue eyes.

"Sookie? Sookie, what happened? Are you ok? Say something, damn it!" Eric's voice was full of concern, and his palm cupped her cheek, stroking it gently.

"What? Uhmm… What happened? Did I faint? I have never fainted in all my life!" This was so embarrassing. Sookie could feel her heart rate and blood-pressure pick up immediately, as she realized she was in the arms of this gorgeous man. Her boss. HER BOSS! She scrambled up on her feet as quick as she could, but of course her head spun again. Before her knees could buckle once more, Sookie felt the strong and firm and hot arms of Eric pick her up, wedding day-style and sweep her off her feet. Eric carried her through the villa, into an area they had yet to visit, the kitchen. As everything else here, it was huge and exquisite. He carefully sat her down in one of the chairs, and knelt beside her.

"I'm so sorry, Sookie." Eric's soft eyes met hers as he held one of her hands. "I should have fed you before. I mean… I should have made sure that you got something in your system before you had to tour the house. You haven't eaten in a while, right?"

Again, Sookie was lost in his gaze, and for the love of everything holy, she could not form a response to his question. The scent of him, while he carried her, and now, as he sat close by her side, was almost intoxicating. She could do nothing but stare in to his eyes and try to restrain herself from leaning in those last couple of inches to inhale even more of this delicious man. Even at her weakened state she could feel herself getting damp and her core contracting with anticipation. She wanted to raise her hand and run her fingers through his hair. She wanted to taste those delicious lips and the wanted the feel of his hands on her. She wanted _him_.

With a power of will she hadn't known she possessed, she restrained herself, and dug up an answer.

"I think… Maybe on the plane… At least one of the planes. Can't remember. Sorry."

"Stay here, don't dare to get up. I'll fix you something to eat." Mr. Northman, The Boss, surfaced as he stood and walked to the fridge. Sookie felt herself get lost at the sight of him as he rummaged around the kitchen, getting a pots and pans from the cabinets and drawers. It was like watching a wild beast, all male and vigor, just barely concealed under the surface of the man. He seemed to occupy the room, spacious as it was. She had to remind herself to breath once in a while, or she would faint again. How was it possible to feel such a craving for a man she had just met? A man she hardly knew, and more importantly, a man she was going to work for? _Boss, remember? Get a grip, Sookie! What if he noticed? He would have me out of here in the wink of an eye!_

"Normally, Janne does all the cooking for us, breakfast, lunch and dinner. There's always food ready, and feel free to take whatever you want, meals are embedded in your pay, as well as board, as you know." He presented her with a plate with what could pass as scrambled eggs, she supposed. He must have noticed her questioning look, because he looked a bit sheepish as he added "I'm not much of a cook, I confess. Without Janne, I would survive on sandwiches alone." He smiled, a genuine and cute smile tugging only the left part of his wonderful lips. "I hope it's edible, at least."

Hungry as she was, she could and would have eaten a horse, but the eggs tasted fine and she ate them fast. After devouring her food, she looked up at Eric to thank him, finding him staring at her, his gaze almost starving. He was taking her face in, as if he was not only looking at it, but stroking it at the same time. His eyes seemed deeper than before, still blue as ice, but fiery at the same time.

"What?" Sookie's voice came out thin and shivering, and she could not turn away from his stare. When he didn't answer, she could feel herself blushing once again, and she couldn't help wondering if this was to become her usual skin tone during her stay in Sweden. "Eric, what?"

He shook his head almost invisibly and turned to face the darkness outside the kitchen window. She could see his reflection and the look of grim resolution on his face. A smirk appeared, and he cocked an eyebrow as he turned to face her again.

"Ready for bed?"


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I'm thrilled of your reviews, love'em all! I haven't been able to answer them though… But know that I read them all, over and over!

So, here's chapter three, Eric's POV, and do not despair; smut is coming!

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><p>Eric was in his bed, but not alone. Accompanying him was the thoughts and fantasies of the beautiful American woman he knew was under the same roof as him. Sookie Stackhouse. Had she gone to bed yet? Was she lying under the covers in the big bed in her room? Eric couldn't help but wonder what a woman like her was wearing in bed this very first of her nights in Sweden. Was she cold? He'd made sure the heater was turned on before she had arrived, but maybe the cold Swedish autumn left her southern-belle body chill? Suddenly he found himself staring at the mental picture of her luscious breasts and the disturbing image of her nipples, hard from the cold… He could feel himself harden at the image, and he wanted nothing more than to get out of bed and silently move through the house, up the stairs and to slip into bed next to her, making those appetizing nipples harden from his touch instead. He wanted to taste her, too. Taste her all over that gorgeous body, feel her writhe under his fingers as he pleasured her over and over. He wanted to look into her blue eyes and watch her come at his will. Somehow he knew that their bodies would fit perfectly together. He groaned into his pillow. <em>Boss, remember that, Northman? You are her boss!<em>

Eric's thoughts turned swiftly to Pam, his best friend and the one that had recommended hiring Sookie in the first place. What was she thinking? Had she known he would instantly crave Sookie, want her like no one before? Of course she had. It was Pam, for gods' sakes. But what was her motive? He had always trusted Pam's judgment, she was above average intelligent, and she was ruthless in business and loyal to the bone. But then, she also had a mischievous streak to her, and this time… He just didn't know. What was she after, throwing this tantalizing woman at him?

He was restless and sleep avoided him. Tossing and turning in bed didn't do any good, because all he could think about was that amazing body, the warm heart beating only a few rooms away. Maybe she was in the tub, or the shower. Maybe she was soaping that hot body up, warming herself under the spray of water. Eric's thoughts wandered to what it would feel like to step in the shower with her, lather his hands up and softly stroke the glowing, tanned skin of hers. Maybe run his thumbs teasingly over her breasts and feel her nipples harden…

"Uh, Northman, get a grip! This is NOT helping your ability to sleep. "Eric got up of the bed and started to pace back and forth, running his hand impatiently through his hair. His hard-on strained inside his boxers and restless excitement ran through his body. "A cold shower. Good idea, Northman. Submit yourself to a very long, very cold shower and remove that woman from your mind!" He had always been proud of his self-control and his ability to compartmentalize his life, and he called upon that ability now. He would not let her, his employee; enter his mind like this again. She was far away from home, in a foreign country, in a house in the middle of nowhere, and if she had the slightest idea of what was going through his mind, he knew she would turn and run. As much as he wanted her, physically, he needed her professionally even more and he had to cut the craving for her out of his body and out of his mind. Whit a new resolve, he got into bed again, ignoring the heat surging through his manhood. Sleep finally took him, but his dreams were all about a certain blonde, kissing his body and rubbing herself all over him.

Eric woke early and got dressed for his morning run. It was late autumn, and the woods around his house were still dark but he knew them like the back of his hand. Running had always helped to clear his mind, and he was in desperate need of clearing. He felt like he had not slept at all. His vivid dreams of Sookie had kept his mind on its edge all night, not getting the rest he needed. If he was supposed to work next to her today without drooling all over her and painfully admit to her that he wanted her ferociously, he needed to stay on his game, and running the woods in the early morning hours would get him there.

The crisp morning air and the complete silence filled him as he ran, and he could feel himself relax. Every fast step and every fastened heartbeat brought him closer to his normal self, and after an hour, as he opened the front door to the house and made his way to the kitchen, he felt optimistic and sure that the Stackhouse-woman would not have the same pull on him today. Eric Northman, in control. He was her boss, and she was…

What she was, was sitting at the kitchen table wrapped in a fluffy pink robe with her bare feet tucked under her and a steaming mug in her hands. He came to a sudden stop in the doorway. Well shit, was all he could think. He could feel sweat trickling down his back, and it had nothing to do with the morning run. His cock immediately began to stir, as he watched the side of the robe slip and reveal the most perfect thigh he had ever seen. Her skin looked so soft and he was taken by his impulse to stroke his hand gently up said thigh to find out if it was as peachy to the touch as it appeared. What was it about this woman that turned his insides into jelly, and his man parts rock-hard without doing anything else but innocently sit in a kitchen? He tore his eyes from her thigh and found that she was staring at him. She looked almost panicky and his heart sank. He was scaring her. He wanted that least of all. Eric carefully rearranged his face from horny, near openmouthed admiration to a polite and somewhat distant smile.

"Good morning, Sookie." He walked towards the coffeepot and poured himself a cup, carefully turning his back on her to hide the obvious evidence of his interest. "Did you have a good night? I hope you found everything to your satisfaction? In your quarters, I mean." _Oh god, he was rambling like a high school boy with a crush on his teacher! _In an effort to save whatever face he had left, he added briskly "I need a shower." He felt as if he was fleeing the room, and he realized he had given her no chance to respond. He stopped and halfway turned in the door. "I'll see you in my office in an hour and we'll get it on… I mean, we'll get started." _Great. Just great, Northman._

Sookie just sat there staring at the door her boss had just vacated. She was embarrassed to her core that she had let him see her like this, but in all honesty she had not figured he would be up at this early hour. She had had not much sleep, and getting dressed before getting coffee had seemed inconvenient. Then, Eric had appeared, clad in only shorts and a sweaty t-shirt with his enchanting eyes locked on her appearance, and she couldn't help but feel panic set in. What if he fired her? Surely he was displeased by seeing his employee and recent acquaintance sit at his breakfast-table in only a pink robe and with what she knew was a serious case of bedhead. And, in the middle of all that, she had not been able to stop staring at him. This man was absolutely dangerous. Oh no, she didn't fear him, she feared herself. She craved him with every nerve and cell of her body, and she knew she hadn't been able to hide it. It must have been written all over her face. She could just as well print a sign saying "wanton woman" and pin it to her forehead. _Get a grip, Sookie, get a grip. You need this job and can't risk it by wanting to fuck your boss! _She sighed. She would go upstairs and into the spray of a cold shower, NOT thinking of him as she did, and then dress herself in her most strict and professional clothes and be all business with him from now on.

Sookie felt almost calm when she entered his office after one hour. She had showered, dressed and put on some light makeup and she had promised herself to be all polite and assistant like, in a non-gender specific way, the next time she met her boss. That was the only way this was going to work, she had realized. She could not let him see what wrecking effect he had on her body, and she could not stare at him like a schoolgirl in love every time he opened his mouth._ That sexy, promising, simply gorgeous mouth… Aw, fuck!_

Eric was already in his office as she entered, and he took her in as she approached him. She didn't look scared anymore, he noticed. She looked almost grim. She was dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt tucked in darkgrey slacks with a belt around her slim waist. Her hips swayed tauntingly as she walked towards him, but he made himself not notice.

"Now, what can I do for you today, Mr. Northman?" Her voice was professional and to the point, but he was lost. He could think of so many things she could do for him, and none of them had anything to do with work. _What the hell was wrong with him?_


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I'm so grateful of your overwhelming response to my little story. Keep the reviews coming, and I'll update even faster. Love ya!

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><p>Sookie woke up early as she had every morning since she arrived in Sweden almost a month ago. As she had every morning since that dreadful encounter in the kitchen, she got fully dressed before making her way to the kitchen to get her morning fix of coffee. She returned, as always, to her living room to drink it by herself. Afterwards she always went outside for a lonesome walk of the woods before joining Eric in the office.<p>

Sookie knew she was in love. The northern part of Sweden was mesmerizing, and she loved walking around in the woods by herself, clearing her head and soothing her nerves for the day ahead. In the beginning, she hadn't strayed far from the villa, because she was afraid to lose her direction in the thickness of the forest. But day by day, she added to her knowledge of the surroundings, and she ventured father away. It was late October, and the sun rose noticeable later each day, and Janne had told her that in mid-winter, it wouldn't rise at all. Months of total darkness and a cold she couldn't even imagine, would take control over her life. She dreaded that because darkness would mean spending all her time at the villa, and at the villa… Well,_ he_ would be there too.

For the past month, she had done everything to act professional towards her boss. She had been careful to do a great job, and she was meticulous with every detail. He kept her busy every day, and she liked her job a lot and keeping busy was the best way to avoid regarding Eric Northman as anything else than her boss. In the office, she almost succeeded. The nights and her days of, well that's another matter completely.

Sookie did her best to stay busy around the clock. Her aim was to exhaust herself to the point where she could fall into bed every night and instantly fall asleep. On the weekend, she usually went with Janne to the nearest town, to shop or do some sightseeing. She studied Swedish as much as she could, and had learnt a phrase or two by now. Going into town was a great way to practice, and Janne willingly obliged. Swedish was complicated but had a simple and clean sound to it, and she relished hearing the swedes talk it amongst themselves. She had yet to hear Eric speak his native tongue; all of their communication was in English.

And Eric, well, he seemed to stay clear of her as well. She knew he jogged every morning before breakfast; he showered and spent the rest of his days in his office, having Janne serve him his lunch at his desk. Since Sookie herself took all her meals in her private quarters, their paths seldom crossed outside of office-hours. _Weird, really,_ Sookie thought,_ that two people living together managed to keep their lives so separate. _But she knew that it was necessary. She could not have her boss know about the fantasies of him haunting her every night and every non-occupied moment. Her only chance of keeping her thoughts private was to avoid him as much as she could, stay professional and polite, but never indulge in small-talk or sharing meals with him. _Not that he'd asked._

This morning, after checking her watch, she decided to make her morning-walk a little longer. She dressed in a pair of comfortable blue jeans, a t-shirt and a warm coat she had gotten during one of her visits to town. Her coat from home was far too thin for late autumn in northern Sweden. A knitted cap with matching mittens completed her outfit, and she laced her high boots up and took off. Her breath turned into mist as it left her mouth, and she could feel her cheeks blossom in the cool air.

Her thoughts, like always, strayed to the man she shared the house with. Eric Northman, the enigmatic head of NorthCorp, the founder and developer of the multi-million dollar company with branches all over Europe and in the USA. His reputation said him to be cold and ruthless in business, calculating and very intelligent, and the fact that he'd accomplished all this before he even turned 35, was only confirming that reputation. What she didn't get, was the fact that Eric struck her as a lonely man. He seemed to love his little part of Sweden, and for the month she had been there, he had never left to go out of town for any reason. He held his meetings via direct-link or phone conferences, or old fashioned hand-written communication. To Sookie, this seemed a bit odd, but he appeared to be content with solitude. Then why had he hired her? Now that she knew the job, she was certain that her task could easily be performed by someone somewhere else. His assistant had no logical reason to be at his physical side, hell; she could've done it from Bon Temps. So why?

Something suddenly softly touched her face, and she was brought back to the present. Sookie looked up and found large and soft snowflakes slowly falling from the sky. It was snowing, and her forest turned even more magical buried under a thin blanket of white. She gazed in wonder at the thickening snowfall, and cherished the opportunity to inhale and exhale the smell of winter. The snow silenced her steps, and she realized that the forest was submerged in complete silence. As the snow started to fall a bit more heavily she decided to head home, but when she checked her surroundings she found that every landmark she had known was covered in snow, and it hit her that she had no idea of where she was or even in what direction the villa was. She was alone and she was lost.

Eric was worried. He had seen Sookie leave the house hours before, no doubt to go for her regular stroll in the woods, but it was late morning now, and she hadn't returned. The first snow of the winter was coming down hard outside his window, and he knew how different the forest appeared in the snow. Was she in her room, just running a bit late, or was she out there in the woods alone and lost? He had to check on her.

Her bedroom was empty, and so was her living-room. He checked the kitchen to make sure, but she was nowhere to be found. Flipping his cellphone open, he hit speed dial and Janne answered quickly.

"Sookie hasn't returned to the house. I tried her cell but it was turned off. I'm heading out to look for her." He could hear the worry in his own voice. "Did you see what direction she took when she walked away?"

"Yeah, she walked north. I'll go with you. We can search through a larger area, the two of us together." Janne's voice was worried too.

"Bring your cell, and a thermos of tea. Maybe and extra jacket or a blanket too. It's cold out there today."

The two men headed north and split up some distance in to the forest. They both called Sookie's name, but their calls seemed muffled by the snow. Eric knew that the chance of finding her was small and getting smaller by each falling flake of snow. If they didn't find her before dark… He didn't want to finish that thought. _She must be so scared._

The snow continued to fall heavily, and Eric decided to return to the house. The blanket of snow was so thick and dense now; he knew he could use the snowmobile in the search. He could cover more ground with it, and if he found her… _When _he found her, it would be the easiest way to get her home.

He knew these woods, and he made good time with the snowmobile, but his anxiety increased with every passing minute. Darkness fell early this time of year, and the temperature would drop significantly after that. He sped up, and prayed. _Please let her be fine, please let me find her; please let me hold her… Please please please…. _

Sookie was tired and cold. She had walked for several hours and she couldn't even tell if she was heading in the right direction. Her legs were beginning to suffer from the constant battle against the thickening snow, and she tripped and fell over and over. Her feet hurt from the cold, and her cheeks felt numb. She kept walking though, not giving in to the temptation to lie down in the snow and rest just for a little while. She knew that if she did, she could fall asleep and never wake up again. She had to keep moving.

Fear struck her again as she considered the possibility that she could be walking in the wrong direction. What if she was moving further from the house, instead of getting closer? What would happen when darkness fell? Sookie had gotten used to seeing the occasional moose during her walks, and deer often had crossed her paths. But she recalled Janne telling her that this huge and seemingly never-ending forest was the home of packs of wolves. Wolves that could track her down without effort, and, giving they were hungry enough, could kill and eat her just as easily. The prospect of being out here at nightfall and killed by wolves made her quicken her pace despite her weariness. _No Sookie-burger for the wolves anytime soon,_ she thought. _At least I hope not. Keep on moving, Sookie._

The already grey light of day was fading fast, and Eric knew that his time was running out. _Her_ time. He had to find her soon. The headlights of the snowmobile were creating fleetingly shadows as he continued to search for his beautiful assistant. He didn't want to imagine her laying pale and still, covered in snow. Her gorgeous body cold and her heart not beating anymore. He had come to realize something during these hours of frantic search. She belonged here. His harsh country was hers as much as it was his. He had seen the spark of joy in her eyes when she had been out walking, or when she had followed Janne in to town. If he found her safe… _When_ he found her safe and sound, he wanted to be a part of that. He wanted to get to know her.

He had done everything in his power to banish all fantasies of her during the last month, knowing that he owed it to her to keep their relationship professional. He'd kept his appearance cool and distant, even though his body ached for her every second of the day. When she moved through his office, he had tried to takes his eyes of her, tried not to drown in the scent of her shampoo and tried, _hard_, not to reach his hand out and touch her as she passed him. He wanted her, but he had feigned a disinterest in her just to keep her around. He didn't want to scare her off. Sookie was hardworking and loyal to his company; she had proven herself efficient and competent. But outside the office, she had carefully avoided him. She spent a lot of time with Janne, and Eric couldn't help the painful sting of jealousy he felt every time he heard her laugh and talk to his right-hand man. _He_ wanted to be the one to make her smile. He needed her to be… His. Only his.

Eric's thoughts were disrupted as the headlights caught the pale face and scared eyes of the woman of his fantasies. As he jumped off his vehicle and ran towards her, she sank to her knees in the snow and closed her eyes. He could see her lips form his name, before she fainted.

"SOOKIE!"


	5. Chapter 5

AN: This story is burning me inside to get out, and all I want to do is write all day long. Alas, I have so many things to take care of, and I got into an accident and broke my arm. It's slow and painful to type with a cast, but I'll try hard, cuz Eric and Sookie just won't shut up! They demand that I tell their story… So, everyone, thank you so much for your reviews, I'm thrilled to the bone that you all seem to love their story too!

I don't own them; wish I did, though….

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><p>Sookie had only vague memories of Eric finding her. She had thought that he was a dream. She had thought that her own desperate imagination had dreamt him up, and that she was actually in the process of dying out there in the dark, cold forest. But instead of growing colder, she grew warm, and when she finally came too completely, she lay on the soft leather couch, wrapped in a blanket, in front of the fireplace in Eric's living room. Eric himself was sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the sofa and his face turned to the fire. She watched him tentatively for a few moments, and felt tears welling up in her eyes. The man sitting there… He had saved her life.<p>

"Thank you, Mr. Northman" she said simply in a low voice. His head jerked and he turned his face to look at her. She had been adamant in always addressing him "Mr. Northman" in a way of keeping herself detached from him, but saying it now felt only wrong. "Thank you, Eric. You…" She couldn't continue her sentence when he looked in to her eyes. She saw so many different emotions there, and her breath got caught in her chest. Unable to speak, Sookie reached for Eric's hand and squeezed it gently one time before letting go. At this moment she cared nothing of the problems she knew she had to deal with eventually, and she cared nothing about the fact that he was her boss and that it wasn't proper to touch him. She had to convey her gratitude somehow.

He turned to face the fire again. "I thought I was too late." Eric's voice was raw with emotion as he continued. "I thought I was too late, but I found you, and you're alive. That's all that matters." He softly shook his head and Sookie could see him inhale deeply. "So many hours out there all alone. You must have been so scared, and I'm sorry I didn't get to you faster." He caught her hand in his own, and she felt his warmth and the unexpected softness of his palm. He laced his fingers in hers. "You could have died."

"Well, yeah... But I didn't. Thanks to you." Sookie's heart sped up as he turned to look at her again. The depth of his eyes took her breath away, and almost on instinct, she began to pull her hand from his. This closeness, this physical contact was almost too much for her, and she needed to get away from him before she did something she would regret. Her body responded to his touch as if someone had transported the fire from the fireplace to her bloodstream, and she could feel electricity burn between them. She untangled herself from the blanket. She needed to get away.

"Stay." Eric's voice was almost pleading and his eyes shone with insecurity. "I… I don't know what this is. I don't know why, but I don't want you to leave. Just stay." He took a deep breath and then another. His hand latched on to hers again and his thumb gently stroked the back of her hand. "I need to know that you are safe. Stay with me tonight, Sookie."

Eric had never felt more insecure in his whole life. He had always been in total control of his feelings and actions. Always known which path to take. Today, that had changed. The first time he had met Sookie, he had been hit with what he thought was a physical need, but today he had realized that it was more than physical. Something in her sang to his heart and soul, and he knew that he would never be the same again. Her presence in his life had thrown him over. His wild anxiety when she was gone had shown him that somehow, he didn't know how, she had taken his heart, and if she left, there would be nothing left for him but emptiness. _He_ was _hers_, weather she wanted him or not.

Sookie didn't respond to his plea, and he searched her eyes to find her answer. He saw her doubt and her insecurity. This woman had him wrapped around her little finger and she had no clue. He couldn't tell her, not yet. She was shocked, had feared death, and now her boss had asked her to stay the night with him. He felt ashamed of himself, laying this on her on top of everything else.

Then, she nodded. "I don't want to be alone tonight." Eric felt almost giddy with relief. He intended to make sure that she stayed even longer than tonight. Forever. He would settle for forever.

Sookie was tired to her core, and her muscles were sore from her fight through the snow. She wanted a deep and sound sleep, but she knew there had to be consequences to her near-death experience and she didn't want to wake up screaming from a nightmare all alone. She needed him, and even though she didn't get why he wanted her to stay, she was grateful for his offer.

"You need to eat, and you need to shower. I'll make some tea and sandwiches for you, but take that shower first." He led her by her hand to the stairs, lifted it to his mouth and grazed it with his lips before he turned and walked towards the kitchen. "I'll see you in there."

He had been right. After a shower and a meal, she was beginning to feel more relaxed, and sleepiness drowned her. She almost fell asleep at the table, and Eric picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. She had never seen this part of the house, but she wasn't surprise at the size of the room. It was dominated by a huge bed, and he gently put her down on top of it. The only light came from a mellow lamp in the far corner of the room, the walls were painted in a soft blue and the wooden floor covered in an ivory throw-rug. A few paintings and photographs decorated the walls, and the two windows were covered by shades fully drawn. It suited him.

"Now sleep."

"But… Where will you be?" Sookie didn't want him to leave.

"I'll stay here, in the armchair." He helped her to lie down on the pillow and brought the cover up to her shoulders, tucking her in. He turned off the light and she could hear him settle down in the easy chair with a sigh.

She fell asleep almost instantly, feeling warm and safe. Her nightmare woke her up with a scream, she was panting heavily from terror and she gasped for air. He was by her side immediately, wrapping his arms around her, trying to sooth her nightmare away. She could feel his hands caressing her back, and she heard him mumble calming words into her hair.

"Shh, jag är här. Jag är här. Du är säker nu. Jag kommer aldrig att släppa dig." His voice and his presence made her safe, and she fell back into sleep.

The terror of the night seemed long gone when Sookie woke the next time. The room was still in the dark, no daylight seeped through the shades and a glance at the clock beside the bed informed her that it was only just after four in the morning. Eric was still beside her, sound asleep, with his arm stretched out on top of her. If she turned her head just a little bit, her cheek would be right by his lips. She could feel his delicious breath touching her face, and then he moved, nuzzling his face deeper to the crook of her neck. He looked so vulnerable in his sleep, and before Sookie even realized it, she had lifted her head and softly brushed her lips against his. She couldn't help herself. Her gratitude for him saving her life mingled inside her with deep desire and a desperate need for closeness. She turned on her side to face him and kissed him again, letting her tongue slide carefully in the slit of his lips. He opened his eyes and focused on her slightly parted lips. He suddenly claimed them with his own, and drew her close with one hand tangled in her hair.

She gasped with the sudden wave of arousal that hit her, and he deepened the kiss even more as their tongues battled for dominance. Her violent craving for him completely took over and she restlessly ran her hands on his t-shirt seeking the warmth and excitement of his bare skin. He moaned when her hands found their way, and the silky feel of the trickle of hair on his chest rendered her weak with desire. Her body was on fire for him, she could feel the heat in her core, thumping with eager expectation.

Eric lost all perception of reality as he woke to the sensation of her kissing him. She tasted even more delicious than he had imagined, and he wanted her ferociously. Her soft groans into his mouth made him instantly hard, and he felt dizzy as her hands started roaming his body.

"Uhm… Sookie… Shit, this feels so good. You feel so good… Ahh!" He couldn't hold back a sharp gasp as her hand lightly stroked the hard bulge on his boxers. He feverishly and in a haze of lust turned her on her back and laid on top of her, his pelvis and throbbing manhood buried between her legs. He could feel her dampness and heat through their clothes, and that almost had him undone. He savaged her mouth, and his hands found her breasts under her sleep- tee, and he took one nipple between two fingers and felt it harden even more to his touch.

"I want to see you. I need to see you, Sookie!" Eric felt almost miserable in his desperate need of her, and when she took her tee off, he felt blessed. Her body, made for love and adventure, lay there before him, her mound still covered in tiny underpants. He kissed his way from her lips down her neck, sucking gently and licking her skin. When he closed his mouth around her nipple, flicking it with his tongue, she buried her hands in his hair and panted.

"More, Eric, don't stop… Ahh, it feels so damn good…" She writhed and wriggled and he let his hand caress its way down her flat belly. Her hips buckled up to meet his hand as he reached her mound, and her excitement was obvious as he slid on finger under her panties.

"Oh, shit Sookie, you are so wet… "Her folds were slick with her own cream, and she moved her hips restlessly against his touch.

"Eric, I'm gonna come… I need to come right now, or… I'll BURN! Please, let me come, Eric!"

Eric slid another finger inside her and stretched her, curling them, fingering her in a steady pace. Her panting accelerated and she threw her head back against the pillow. She was covering his hand in moist and the smell of her intoxicated him to the point where he thought he would explode.

"Come for me, baby, come for me. " Eric felt her inner walls contract around his fingers and she yelped and cried as she lost herself in the wave of pleasure. She sobbed when the aftershocks rippled through her body. Eric had never seen anything as beautiful as her.

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><p>Translation: "Hush, I'm here, I'm here. You are safe now. I'll never let you go."<p>

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><p>So, you guys, what did you think of this chapter? Like the way things are going? Let me know!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry I left you hanging there, folks. I have everything written down in my head, but typing it out… You know…

I don't own anything, but I love it all. Playing around with them is a privilege.

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><p>Sookie shivered all over as she came down from her high, regaining conscious thought so to say. Her body felt new to her, every nervending seemed to be animated with the most exquisite warmth she had ever known. She felt the heat from Eric's body cascading over her, his desire evident in his heart beating powerfully close to her. He kissed his way up her neck and claimed her lips again and again, and she could feel the heat turning in to an excruciating flame running through her veins. She twined her hands in his hair, pulling him closer, deeper. She had never felt like this, like all of her being was concentrated in, on and around the man in her arms. She wanted him to take her, to own her and to make her his, and she could only press herself, all of herself, closer to him to convey it to him. He was on top of her, their bodies as tight together as bodies could be, but not close enough. Her panties and his boxers separated them, and she pushed him onto his back, straddling his waist. She paused as she took him in, his chiseled abs, and well-toned arms. His blazing blue eyes shone at her. Sookie bent down to kiss him again, and then rested her forehead against his, their panting breaths coming out equally ragged. His hands were restlessly roaming her back and down to cup her hips, bucking his own up to hers to show her just how hard he was for her. Sookie could feel her own need for him, her world shift, a paradigm-shift. She knew, with a clarity she could not argue, that he would, from now on, be her reason to breathe, fuck, even the air itself.<p>

Sookie moved her lips to his ear, kissing the lobe gently, stroking her lips to his throat. She nuzzled the bend where his neck met his shoulder, and then found his hard nipple with her mouth, and she bit into it, and then lazily ran her tongue around it. She trailed kisses down his chest and simultaneously eased his boxers of off him. When his hard-on sprang out of its prison, she gasped. _So it __**was**__ true then. Everything about him was huge. Yahoo!_

With tender fingers she stroked him once before taking the tip of him into her mouth. He almost yelped with pleasure and she let the tip of her tongue circle him, before taking the length of him all the way, as deep as she could in her mouth.

Eric saw stars through his closed eyelids, and explosions of fireworks. The feel of her, the warmth of her mouth was almost more than he could bear.

"AH, Sookie… Sookie… I want… I need to…. I have to have you!" His words came out more pleading than anything, but he couldn't help the bottomless need he had for her. Sookie looked up to meet his eyes, and hers were full of the same hurricane of emotions he felt through his body and soul. _What was this?_ Eric felt that this moment, _this _time was all that his life so far had led up to. This was what was supposed to be, he hadn't known it, but now he did.

Eric gently guided Sookie on to her back, kissing her softly. He caressed her thighs apart, and stroked her wet folds with one hand, letting one finger plunge deep inside her. He could feel her body answer his touch, and she squirmed and stretched to hold him, trying to coax him into entering her.

"Please, Eric… Fuck me! Just fuck me before…. Oh, don't stop! Pleasepleaseplease!" Eric felt her walls convulse around his fingers as she came again, and when she started to ease, he entered her in one swift thrust, and another orgasm followed directly upon the first. She screamed his name, and he felt as if he was going to faint and explode, possibly at the same time. Eric had never been a religious man, but this must be as close to heaven one could come. The heat inside of her, the wetness… It was nearly the end of him.

"Oh GOD Sookie! You're so tight, so warm… Heaven… " He felt delirious and prayed he could last just a little longer buried deep inside of her. "My lover… I can't… I have to come!" He stroked her nub with his thumb as he fucked her harder and faster and then he let go. His world chattered, heaven and earth switched places and his eyes saw nothing but shimmering lights and her eyes, he heard nothing but her screams of orgasm mixed perfectly with his own growls, vibrating throughout his body.

They came to, after a long moment of blissfulness. The world came back into view. Sated and confortable, they lay entwined, sweaty skin against sweaty skin. Their breathing came back to normal, their hearts beating at almost normal rhythms.

"This is the beginning" she heard him whisper against her hair, and she turned her head to look at him. She felt the truth in his words. She saw the truth in his eyes. This man, her world, felt what she did. She had been betrayed by Bill and Lorena, but at this moment she only felt gratitude towards them. Their betrayal had put her where she was today. _Maybe I should write them a thank you-note._ She giggled a little. "What's so funny?" Eric searched her eyes and stroked her chin, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

"I was just thinking. It's funny how life seems to take you on journeys, without plan or meaning. And before you know it, you arrive at where you are supposed to be. I can't explain it, but it feels like… Maybe this is where I'm supposed to be, Eric. Right here, right now, this is…"

"This is where you were meant to be? I know, Sookie, and it is! This is right, so right. It can't be any other way." He kissed her softly and then hugged her close. "I felt it right away, but I didn't recognize it for what it was. Maybe I'm a lesser man for it, but I wrote it down as physical attraction, much stronger than I ever imagined feeling, but still just physical. I was wrong. This is_ much _more."

She reveled in his words. Let them embrace her completely. She felt them echoing her own feelings. This was insane, but she couldn't deny the depth of the emotions running back and forth between them, drowning them. Time didn't matter, nor did rationality or sense. She had fallen for him, completely, the first time she saw him. She _knew_ him, straight away. There was no denying it.

"Stay with me, Sookie."

"I am here. I stayed, we made love. It was amazing."

"Yes, it was. Beyond amazing. Earth-shattering and all-consuming." He looked down in her eyes again, and then turned her over, covering her with his body. She could feel his cock stir and harden again, and her own body answered immediately. He entered her, met her ready and wet and warm, still looking into her eyes. "Stay with me. Not only this night, but all the days and nights to come."

He claimed her, filled her, staked her and she could not get close enough to him. Every fiber in her body ached with longing; she clawed him to get him deeper. Pure desperation, pure craving consumed her as he pounded in to her, every thrust driving them closer to the edge.

Eric felt her desperation; he knew it as his own. His physical need matched hers, and he could feel the world fade again. He lost sense of time and place, his mind and body consumed by a fire stronger than he had ever experienced.

"Fuuuuuck!" he screamed as he came, an orgasm stronger than he thought humanly possible to stand. Once again he could feel her fall right there with him. Her inner walls squeezed ever drop out of him, milked him dry. His world was spinning and she was the one thing anchoring him down.

"Om inte du finns, så finns inte jag. Det är den enkla sanningen."

"Oh… I've got to pick up on my Swedish… I have no idea what you just said to me." She laughed a little, moving to her side and propping up on one elbow to look at him. "I hope it was something nice."

"Sookie, what would you say if I asked you to go away with me?"

She gave him a questioning look.

"I want to show you something. Or rather, somewhere. My favorite place on earth, actually."

"I thought it to be here, your favorite place on earth."

"I love it here, but Kärkevagge…"

"Kergev… What?"

"Kärkevagge. It's in old same-language. It means Stone-valley and this place… I can't explain it; you have to see it to believe the beauty of it." His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and he looked so boyishly happy she had to give him a huge smile. "The valley is littered with huge blocks of stone left there by the inland ice" he continued, "and at the end of the valley there's a lake. It's so clear, you can see to the bottom of it even though it's really deep. Let me take you there, and share its wonder with you. I want to make love with you there, under the stars, at the end of the world."

"End of the world, eh?"

"Yeah, Kärkevagge is about as far north you can get and still be in Sweden. Fifteen kilometers, or just over 9 miles, from Riksgränsen, the border where Sweden meets Norway and Finland in the same spot. There, you can stand on a big rock and visit three countries at the same time" he added with a smile. It was contagious, that smile of his, and Sookie felt his enthusiasm transmit to her.

"Oh, Eric, I would love to go with you to Kaerge… Karge… Uh, Stone-valley. I really would like to see that place. When?"

"Actually, it would probably be better to go there during summer, but I simply can't wait that long." He gave her one of those sexy smirks, cocking his eyebrow at the same time. "If I can tear myself from you somewhere in the near future, I'll make the arrangements. There's a beautiful little youth hostel at Riksgränsen, from there we'll go by dogsled to Kärkevagge. Ever done that?"

"Dogsledding? No, never. Not much snow in Louisiana, remember?"

"You'll love it" he stated.

Sookie glanced at the alarm clock by the bed, and surprisingly found it to be past eight in the morning, and as if to confirm it, her stomach growled loudly. A slight blush crept up her face and she buried it at Eric's chest. "I'm hungry, but I don't want to get up."

"Well, lover, as much as I would love to let you devour _me_ all day…" Eric's voice was thick with desire, his lips kissing her hair; he continued "given your tendency to faint when hungry, I'll better feed you. We want to keep your energy up, don't we?" He playfully swatted her behind before he jumped up off the bed and stretched his six and a half feet of naked wonder in front of her, clearly enjoying her watching him. She decided to pay him back, and leisurely stretched every limb of her body, moaning slightly with pleasure as she did so. Eric froze in mid-stride, his eyes roaming her with raw excitement.

"Ah, Sookie, lover… If you put it like that, I don't think we'll make it to breakfast."

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><p>Translation: If you don't exist, neither do I. That's the simple truth.<p>

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><p>AN: Kärkevagge is an actual place in Sweden, Google it! Simply breathtaking…<p>

The lovers are submerged in blissful lovemaking, and the world is right… Or? I see troubles rising at the horizon…

Read and review, please!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Forgive me for being so late in updating this thing, but life has been hectic to say the least. But, here it is, hope you enjoy it!

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><p>Despite Eric's sexy threats, they did make it to breakfast. <em>Or,<em> Sookie thought to herself, _maybe better call it a late lunch. _After multiple times of enjoying Eric's lovemaking and his ability to make her come, they sat in the living-room, enjoying their food. She figured Janne had prepared it for them, and left the house to them, and she couldn't help to blush a bit at the thought of Janne knowing that she and Eric had done the dirty. Had he heard them? She surely knew no one of them had kept quiet… Sookie couldn't bring herself to regret anything that had happened. Eric was an unbelievable lover, and she knew that this was not just some random fucking. He cared about her, and she sure as hell cared about him. There was nothing wrong with what they had done. In fact, she couldn't wait to finish her meal and start doing it all over again. That surprised her a bit. Bill and she had had a sexlife, but not a particularly heated one. She had never felt anything similar to what she was feeling only by looking at Eric. He was simply gorgeous and so fucking hot he made her girlieparts tingle just by sitting there next to her. She watched him as he finished his food and licked his lips, and boy she couldn't wait to devour him and let him devour her.

Eric watched Sookie get up from the sofa, and he started to ask her what was up, when he was silenced by the absolutely horny look in her eyes. She walked away from him and shed the tee she had on (his tee! On her!) and let in puddle on the floor. His cock twitched with excitement as he ran his gaze along her naked backside, taking in her seductively swaying hips. With one hand touching the frame of the door of his bedroom, she turned her head and smiled at him.

"I…" Sookies eyes caressed up and down his body and she teasingly licked those sinfully beautiful lips of hers, and continued in a low, seducing sexy voice "…am feeling_ really_ dirty, Eric. Care to join me in the shower and help me with that?" _That would be a hell yeah! _ Eric scrambled to his feet and almost stumbled over the table in his hurry to get to her, and he heard her low purr as she vanished into his room and the conjoining bathroom. He caught up with her and hurriedly turned her and crashed his mouth on hers. He could not believe his luck in meeting this amazing woman. She was insatiable and he would never get enough of her.

"Mine!" he almost growled into her mouth as he continued his assault on her lips. "Mine!" he breathed as her nails scratched his chest. "Mine!" he moaned as her hand found his length inside his boxers and started stoking him. He was harder than he thought possible as felt like he would explode if she continued. Eric grabbed her ass and lifted her on top of the bathroom-counter and pinned her hands along her sides, forcefully opening her thighs with his legs to step closer to her core. She wrapped her legs around him, tightening her hold and wiggling her hips to get him to enter her.

"Oh, please, Eric… Fuck me! I want to feel you inside me." Her breathing was heavy and her eyes intent on his, and she moaned when he bent to ravage her neck and collarbones with his mouth. He released her hands and practically ripped his boxers eager to please her. He let his fingers wander to her folds and his balls contacted with anticipation as he felt her dripping heat. He let one finger slip inside her and his thumb stroked her swollen clit.

"God, Sookie, you are so wet… So wet for me…" Her breathing hitched as he increased the pace with his fingers, and let his mouth latch on to one of her nipples, flicking the hard pebble with his tongue. She gasped for air when he curled his fingers inside of her, hitting_ that_ spot with each thrust. He felt her walls start to contract and couldn't resist her any longer; he rapidly replaced his fingers with his throbbing dick and buried himself in her wetness.

"HOLY SHIT! I'm coming, Eric, I'm coming! Ahhh, so gooooood!"

Eric felt as if he was going to faint with pleasure and he thrust deeper inside of her, and her orgasm continued on, her face clearly showing her bliss. Fuck, he wanted to last, but knew he couldn't, so he pounded her aggressively and felt himself get lost inside of her. His volcano-ish release washed over him and swept him away like a tidal-wave. He screamed her name and collapsed into her. He barely managed to stay on his feet, and his breath came out in ragged pushes. Never, ever had he felt like this. This woman, this beauty, had captivated him at first sight and he would never let her go. He stroked her cheek and turned her head to lock his eyes with hers. He kissed her softly and whispered to her.

"Mine. You are mine."

Sookie got lost in his blue eyes and his words. The man in front of her, still inside her, claimed her as his, and she took his face in her palms. Could this be true? She had thought it impossible to feel this deep, this strong connection to a man she barely knew, but she had to listen to her heart. Her heart told her it was true, and she rested her forehead against his, slowly caressing him and running her fingers through his hair. She tugged lightly on his hair and he looked up to look at her. "Eric. I _am _yours." She made her statement with certainty, but felt she had to add to it. "As _you_ are mine." He was not the only one with possessive tendencies.

Darkness had prevailed outside again as Sookie woke up in the arms of Eric. They had showered together and experienced each other's bodies slick with soap and shampoo, and afterwards they had crashed on to his bed falling asleep almost instantly. Eric's soft breathing in her hair sent shivers of desire as well as safety down Sookies spine. She couldn't help but wonder if they would ever make it to the office and actually do some work. Of course, their relationship was no longer simply that of boss and employee, but she figured she had the professionalism to continue her job as Eric's assistant, as long as she managed to ignore that gorgeous body of his… And his large hands and the image of them roaming her body… And his eyes, _oh his eyes!_

Sookie sighed at the new her, the woman wanting Eric all the time. Intense. Consuming. Liberating. Eric had set her passion free, and she knew there was no going back_. I´m nuts about the guy! Absolutely head over heels for him… _She pondered that. Was this connection to him purely physical? She knew his lovemaking was… beyond extraordinary, and that he could make her body burn, but was there something else there? She realized she didn't know the person Eric Northman that much, but what she knew, what she had learned during the month here in Sweden didn't deter in any way. He was hard working, disciplined and intelligent. She also knew he was caring and had softness to his way, he'd proven that the very first night when he'd made her scrambled eggs. Yup, definitely something more, something… Loveable. _Loveable? Really?_ Sookie thought about it. _Yes, loveable._

Sookie carefully eased herself out of Eric's embrace, and after a stop in the bathroom, she made her way to the kitchen to get a pot of coffee started. Once again, she wore Eric's t-shirt and it was big enough to double as nightgown for her. The delicious scent of fresh coffee filled the kitchen and it felt like the early mornings back in Bon Temps, where she'd take her cup with her to sit on the porch and peacefully sip it while listening to the bugs and crickets singing in the morning sun. Suddenly she felt a pang of longing, and decided to give Amelia a call. Her best friend and room-mate had the house to herself now that Sookie was in Sweden. _Well, probably not_, Sookie thought. There was no doubt in her mind that Troy shared Amelia's bed, and knowing Amelia, probably every other space in the house as well.

Sookie reached for her cell and dialed Amelia's number and heard the call go through. She had not spoken to Amelia since she arrived in Sweden, but they had exchanged e-mails a couple of times.

"Hello?" Amelia's voice was alert and spirited as usual.

"Hey, Amelia, it's Sookie!"

"Oh my God, Sookie!" Amelia almost screamed and Sookie had to ease the phone a bit away from her ear. "I don't believe it's you! How've you been? Is it cold and dark? Have you let that stunning boss of yours warm you up yet?" Sookie had told Amelia about her desire she had for her boss.

"Well, yeah, sort of… Well, actually… Yes I have!" Amelia squealed at Sookie's statement.

"Tell me everything, down to every last naughty detail, Sookie!"

"You know I won't do that, Amelia. I like to keep some things private. But, lemme tell you, I'm nice and warm all over!" She couldn't help but giggle a little. Maybe warm was not the right word, try _searing hot_ on for size.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, honey, you deserve that, after the way that piece of shit Bill treated you. I always said he was no good, and it's not even funny saying I told you so!" Yeah, Amelia had never been a fan of Bill's. "Speaking of the sumbitch, he's been around here, trying to get me to tell him where you're at. Like _I_ would tell him _anything_!" Amelia snorted out of anger. "I told him to take a hike, though my guess is he hasn't given up."

"Hm, I wonder what he wants. He sure did not put up a fight for me before I left and I would never take him back, not in a million years and not even if he was the last man on earth. I would prefer celibacy."

"Celibacy, huh?" Amelia tittered at her choice of words. "I'm guessing that will not be necessary over there? Tell me, Sookie, is he as great as you thought?"

"Mm, better. Much better. Like Olympic gold-medalist-great."

"Olympic, huh?" Eric strolled in to the kitchen, wearing only a pair of black jeans and a very sexy smile. He leaned down to give Sookie a soft kiss on her neck, pausing to nuzzle her skin. "Likewise, lover. Now, who's that on the phone?"

_Hu?_ Sookie zoned out at the sensation his mouth was creating. "Sorry, what?" He _had_ to stop that, or she would snap her phone shut and jump him right there in the kitchen.

"Sookie? Sookie, still there? She heard Amelia calling from what seemed to be very far away. "Earth to Sookie, do you copy?"

Eric quickly stole the phone away, and put it to his ear. "Sorry, Sookie seems to be out of it for the moment. To whom do I own the pleasure of speaking?" Eric's eyes flattered Sookie's and smiled at her.

Sookie watched him as he listened. He was speaking to her best friend. Amelia. _Owe! Not good!_ No telling what her rather outspoken friend would say to him. She reached for the phone but he carefully held it out of her reach.

"Well, hello to you too, Amelia. How are you?" He raised one eyebrow and cocked his head while listening. "Yes, of course… Uh-hu, sure will…. No, not at all, it's my pleasure, I assure you…." Eric suddenly looked amused, and then started laughing. "Really, that's good to know, Amelia. And I'll be sure to tell her you said so."

Eric flipped the phone shut after saying goodbye to Amelia, and threw it on the table. He quickly dipped his head and caught Sookie's lips with his own. "Hello, lover… My bed seemed impossibly lonely when I woke up." Sookie laid her hands against Eric's firm chest and enjoyed the smoothness of his skin under her palms. His musky masculine scent filled her and her breath appeared to become heavier by the second. She enjoyed the gasp she earned from Eric as she let her nails trail down his abdomen, her fingertips coming to rest at the waistband of his jeans.

"What did Amelia tell you?"

"Oh, she just wanted to make sure that _you_ knew she totally approves of the situation and that you…" Eric slowly let his palms move up under her tee and graze her breasts. "… Should make sure that _I_ give you anything you want. I feel I'm inclined to do just that, Sookie." Eric continued his soft assault on her chest and she gently tugs his hair to get him to kiss her.

"But Sookie, who is Bill?"

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><p>AH, sorry, you guys, I hate cliffies just as much as you, but I had to end it here. I'll try be faster uploading the next chaper.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Yeah yeah yeah, I know, you've been waiting forever for this update… So sorry, guys, But really, life's a bitch sometimes, you know… **

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><p>They were strolling around the woods surrounding Eric's house and held hands as they talked. The air was crisp and fresh, the unpolluted snow almost white enough to blind them, if they had had eyes for anything but each other. Adoring smiles and gazes caressed, and icy breaths mingled, hearts filled with newly found love keeping them both warm.<p>

Eric drew a deep breath of cold air into his lounges and thought about what Sookie had told him. _"Bill's my ex. My cheating and unfaithful ex" she'd said with mild sorrow in her voice. "I left Bon Temps after discovering him and Lorena together, actually jumped at the chance to get the hell out of there. I haven't spoken to him since. Amelia told me he's been trying to find me, but I want nothing to do with him, nothing at all."_ She'd left it at that, obviously not wanting to talk about the mess any more. Eric was almost drowned in his love for Sookie, and he felt almost sure that she loved him too. But an itty bitty little piece of his mind kept wondering… _What if I'm the 'rebound-guy'? _He pushed the thought away, and focused on the here and now. Sookie was here, she was everything he wanted. He could easily see himself going down on one knee for her, asking her to be his in every sense of the word. But he had matters to attend to before he was free to do so.

"I have to go away for a couple of days, sweetheart. No more than a week, I think. "

Eric had left the remote house two days later. Sookie didn't know where he was going, and he seemed somewhat reluctant to tell. She didn't want to pry, so she let it go. He'd tell her eventually, she thought, or he wouldn't. She wasn't sure she had the right to know. Their relationship was so new. Actually, when she thought about it, she didn't even know _what_ their relationship was. Lovers, yes, but boyfriend/girlfriend with stings and commitment? She just didn't know. Normally, these kinds of things evolved naturally, but so far, her and Eric and whatever they had, was _nothing_ like 'normal'. It had been instant, violent attraction followed by an equally violent struggle not to give in to each other. He'd saved her life. They had made earth-shattering love to each other, practically consumed each other for hours and hours. They had been secluded during all of this. Nothing seemed normal about them.

She missed him a lot. She worked hard, kept herself busy like she had that first month of excruciating longing, but now she knew, she knew Eric in every way, and her body and mind hummed with that knowledge. She wanted him, and her body wanted him like it had got used to. She slept in her own bed, in her own room. His bed seemed even emptier than her own, and she couldn't bear the smell of him on the sheets, and on the pillows. Her room was empty too, but at least, in there, her senses weren't assaulted.

He hadn't called. He hadn't e-mailed. He hadn't said he would, but then again, he hadn't said he wouldn't. She felt she had no right to feel uneasy about it, since she had no idea if it was a "them", out there in the real world. But she felt a bit sick to her stomach.

Tuesday, about noon, three days after Eric's departure, Sookie heard a car pull up on the gravel outside the house, and she leapt to her feet in her office, and sprinted across the house to get to the front door, almost tearing it off its hinges in her eagerness to see Eric climb out of his car. What she saw made her skid to a halt, her brain almost in disbelief of what her eyes was seeing.

"Bill?"

Her dark-haired ex-boyfriend gave her a lewd smile and casually strolled towards her in the door.

"Happy to see me, honey-bun? Must be, if you're running to greet me."

"What the hell are you doing here, Bill?"

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><p>The powerful engines of the jet roared as it broke the speed down the strip, and finally silenced as the plane came to a stop at gate 4, Shreveport Airport. Sookie ran a tired hand over her forehead, trying to relieve herself of the stress she was under. Her eyes tinged with unshed tears, but she refused to give in to them, she wouldn't give Bill the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She would break down, eventually, but she would sure as hell do it in private.<p>

"Ready, honey-bun?" Bills sleazy voice dripped all over her as he stood to retrieve his carry-on. Sookie drew a steadying breath and turned her head to face him.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Bill, but cut the shit and stop with the honey-bunnying. We both now that's an act. You've got me here; Bon Temps is where I'll call home. But I don't even begin to pretend to _want_ to be here, and you know I wouldn't be, if it wasn't for your blackmail."

"Oh, honey-bun, don't be like that. You know I love you. And it's not blackmail. I call it 'light coercion'."

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the hold you claim to have on Jason, Bill. You know better than most how much my loser brother means to me, and there for you knew just the way to get your will. I will not pretend to be here under false pretenses, and you shouldn't either. Don't say you love me; you wouldn't know love if it jumped up and bit you in you in the face."

Sookie exited the plane and moved towards the baggage-claim, not checking if Bill was behind her or not. But as she spotted her suitcase, he appeared beside her, and suddenly it hit her. This was what life was going to be from now on. She would have no life away from Bill. He owned her. Bought and paid for, at the bargain price of her brother's freedom. She had had no choice.

When Bill had made his surprise visit to Varglyan, he had proposed. He wanted her to marry him, and if she agreed, he would grant Jason his financial freedom. _Stupid, reckless, imbecilely Jason,_ Sookie thought. _How could he be so stupid? Where was his brain when he needed it?_ Gambling had always been Jason's biggest weakness, but to gamble on borrowed money? On Bills money? Now, Bill held the deeds to Jason's house, and it still wasn't enough to square Jason's debt. If Sookie wanted to save her brother, all she had to do was agree to marry Bill, and he would free Jason. She had to trade her freedom against his. And she did. But not until Bill's final blow.

"Come on, Sookie, marrying me can't be that bad, considering you're whoring yourself to that creep Northman!"

"What do you mean, Bill? I'm no one's whore, I'm not Lorena!"

"Silly little girl. Why do you think he keeps you out here in nowhere-land? He doesn't want anyone to know about his little affair on the side." Bill looked gleeful as he watched Sookie go pale.

"What are you talking about? We're not hiding; he's not keeping me from anything!"

"Does he say he love you, Sookie, does he say he wants to marry you? No, I thought not, because that would prove impossible. He's already married, Sookie. Eric is married, and you are the secret, other woman!"

"Eric isn't married! He… He would have told me!" _Wouldn't he?_

"Oh, but he _is_, Sookie dear. Do you want to see the weeding-pictures? She's quite the exotic beauty." Bill had retrieved a file from his case, flipped it open and handed it to her.

There he was. Eric Northman, _her_ Eric. Blazing, sincere, honest eyes; not looking at the camera but adoringly smiling down on a woman dressed in gauzy white. Her pearly whites were showing in a dazzling smile, her dark, doe-like eyes seemingly lost in his. Long, black and shiny straight hair and skin of glowing ember. Yes, she was beautiful, and Eric… _Her Eric!_ Was holding her hand where a huge diamond adorned her finger.

Eric was married. Sookie felt her heart drop as the truth got to her.

She fled Sweden, left the same day. There was nothing for her there any longer. Her chest had been ripped open, twice, in less than two months. Bill's betrayal was nothing compared to this one. Eric was married. He hadn't told her. He had slept with her, made love to her and… It meant nothing to him. Sookie realized she had given her heart to Eric, and now she had to pay the price for being gullible. She would never make the same mistake again.

To save her brother, she agreed to Bill's proposal. Her brother would be free. She would be Bill's prisoner in marriage, but she couldn't care. She was dead. A dead woman has no need for freedom.

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><p>Eric felt like the last two hours of his drive home took forever, and he pushed the car to go faster in order to shorten the time. He hadn't called Sookie, not even to let her know he was coming. He wanted to surprise her. It was late at night, and he hoped to be able to sneak his way in to bed with her and waking her with a kiss. He longed to be with her. These few days apart had been torture for him. He had missed her so much. He hadn't called her, because he didn't want to tell her over the phone where he was and what he was doing. He planned to tell her all of it as soon as he got back, and he had her in his arms once again.<p>

He had his speech prepared. _Sookie, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I feel like I've known you forever, and I think you know me too. I love you. Will you do me the extreme honor of becoming my wife? Will you be mine, Sookie?_

He eyed the square velvet box on the seat beside him. The ring was an antique; it had belonged to his grandmother before his father gave it to Eric's mother on the day he proposed. The diamond was not huge, but exquisitely cut and the sapphires on the sides reminded him of Sookie's eyes. To Eric, it was as if the ring had been forged with Sookie in mind.

Finally, he saw the lights of his house appear through the trees and his excitement grew even bigger. _Sookie, Sookie, Sookie_ his heart chanted and he couldn't go to her fast enough. Janne appeared out of nowhere, as if he had been waiting around the corner. Eric happily greeted his friend as he got out of the car, but felt he didn't have the time to chit-chat. Long strides towards the house were suddenly stopped as he registered the painful look on Janne's face. Eric heard his words, but couldn't decipher their meaning.

"Hon har åkt. Sookie är inte här."

"What?"

"Sookie left, she's not here, Eric."

"What are you talking about, Janne?" Eric turned to look at the man, the man talking in words that made no sense.

"Some guy showed up, a couple of days ago. She left with him within the hour. No explanation, no good-bye. Seemed upset, though."

"What? Wha- Some guy? And she left? Didn't say anything?" _This has to be a joke, a cruel joke, but a joke none the less, Eric thought. _"What did he look like? Was he American?" He was sure he knew who the mystery guy was. It had to be Bill.

"Ja, American. Dark-haired, kinda short. Generic."

Bill. Sookie left with Bill. "She didn't leave a note? A phone number?"

"No."

Eric went straight to his office to look, but there was no trace of Sookie there. No note.

He passed through the living-room and entered his bedroom. The bed was made. The room was in perfect order. No note.

Eric almost ran up the stairs and opened the door to Sookie's bedroom, saw something on her tidy bed and felt the air whoosh out of him when he recognized the picture laying there. He sank to his knees. The world stopped turning. The air felt thick and un-breathable. His fingers stretched out and grabbed the photo and he discovered the small note beneath it. Her neat handwriting screamed at him.

_You made me something I hate. I AM NOT LORENA! _

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><p>Sookie's cellphone chimed as she entered Bill's apartment. Her <em>Swedish<em> cellphone. She had turned it on when she got off the plane, without even thinking about it. No one here knew the number, and she had almost been sure that it wouldn't even work here. No one knew the number, except… Eric. She dug through her purse and found the phone.

**New text-message received. **

**Sender Eric Northman.**

Before she had time to check the message, the display lit up with an incoming call.

_**Eric Northman Calling. **_

_**Eric Northman Calling.**_

_**Eric Northman Calling.**_

_**Eric Northman calling. **_

Hesitation. Indecision. He had lied to her, made a home-wrecker out of her. She hated herself for being so weak and gullible. Eric had no business calling her, but something deep inside of her wanted to pick up, wanted to hear his voice and his explanation. The call ended before she could decide. Some seconds later, the phone chimed again.

**New voice-mail received. **

Her phone was snatched away before she could react, and Bill held it out of her reach. He tore away the battery and pocketed it before handing the phone back to Sookie.

"You are to be my wife. You are mine."

The Louisiana heat felt suffocating. Sookie missed the cold, crisp air of northern Sweden. She missed the snow, the way it creaked under her feet and the way it blanketed and softened everything. She missed Eric, too. _Don't go there, Sookie. Eric is no more._


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Awe, you guys! I love your reviews, they make my day! I'm sorry I suck at responding to them… I'll address some of them now; though:**

**Yup, it was an angsty one, I know, but it had to be written. And for that, I'm changing it from "romance/general" to "romance/angst" but, don't sweat, the angst is coming to an end, and soon! And, boy you are right, Bill**_** REALLY**_** needs to get it, big time. And…. A tiny little bird told me he's gonna… =)Btw, We've been moving this last month, from an apartment to an old,**_** really**_** old (like built in the 1850's old) house and there have been some serious redecorating going on. Lemme tell you, I've been busy as hell, and**_** that's**_** why I also suck at updating… Forgive me? **

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><p>Sookies dream woke her up. She'd been back in Sweden, in the woods around the house. It was winter, and so much snow she'd never seen the likes of it. She kept getting stuck, as if the snow had hands trying to keep her there, trying to hold her down. She was cold, but still sweating, her clothes being soaked through and through, and ice forming on the outer layer. The ice kept getting thicker and heavier until she was finally pinned down in one place, unable to move. She fell, face down, in to the snow and it started to suffocate her… She woke, but the inability to breathe stuck to her. She drew big gasps of air, but the humidity prevented her from drawing enough in. Sookie peeled off her tangled, sweaty sheet and panic-stricken rolled off her bed. <em>Breathe, Sookie, just breathe. Calm down. You're not dying. <em>She shook her head once, twice and finally calmed down.

She ransacked her open suitcase on the floor, digging out a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans, found clean underwear and a towel, and snuck out of the room to get to the shower without waking Bill, who slept calmly on the bed. _Sure, you sleep soundly, you son of a bitch_, she thought. The memories of what he had done to her and what he had made her do stuck to her like feathers on tar, and she felt disgusted; not of herself, because she had had no choice, but about her own reality.

The spray of the shower was more than welcome on her body, and she gave herself a thorough wash, trying to erase the smell of Bill as well of the memories. She washed her hair, twice, and scrubbed her skin until it reddened, and she started to feel human again. Her mind wandered on its own device to the hot and steamy shower she had with Eric… Hot and steamy, and the temperature of the water had nothing to do with that! She sighed. Eric was everything Bill was not. She couldn't even begin to compare them; it's a mystery how they both could belong to the same species.

48 hours since she got back to Bon Temps and Bill had been abusing her, physically and mentally since they sat foot in his apartment. She had tried to fight him, but he had restrained her while holding the threat on her brother over her head. She had willed her body to surrender, but her mind… _No, I'm not giving in to this! There has to be a way out. Eric, Bill, Jason… I am my own person; I will NOT stand for this_. Sookie's resolve grew even bigger as she thought about the possibility to break free. _I'll find a way to free Jason. I'll find a way to free myself_. Sookie turned the water off, and stepped out of the shower and started scheming as she dried herself.

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><p>"Pam, I need you to go to Bon Temps. You'll go there and you'll find Sookie for me. When you do…" Eric's voice was stern as he gave his instructions. "When you do, fucking sit on her until I can get there."<p>

"What the hell's going on, Eric?" Pam was surprised at hearing 'always-oh-so-cool-and-collected-Eric' sounding so upset. She had no clue what was going on, she had thought Eric and Sookie had hit it off, just as she had predicted when she by a chance encounter met Sookie almost a year back in the North-Corps Shreveport-office. Pam was a romantic at heart, although she would never admit to it, and when she met Sookie, she immediately recognized her as _the one_, the one meant for Eric. For many years, she had watched her best friend and boss live half of a life, committing at an early age to something he believed to be the right thing to do. He had agreed to marry Isobel in order to save her life, but in consequence, he'd given up his own. Eric was a stand -up guy, and being married, although only on paper, meant no fooling around. _Might as well join a convent, the man_, Pam almost snickered at the thought. But Eric had held on to his believes, and never went looking for his own happiness. _All work and no play, that's Eric for ya_. In meeting Sookie, Pam had known that this woman was it. All she'd had to do, was bide her time, and plant the seed. It took some persuasion, but Eric finally had agreed to a live-in assistant, and making it even easier for Pam when he gave her a carte blanche to hire anyone she saw fit.

Sookies relationship with Bill seemed only a minor speed-bump on her road to matchmaking-city, and through the grape wine Pam learned of his and Lorenas affair. It had all played out so well, and Sookie had taken the offer_. Oh, I'm just divine_, Pam mused. T_hey are simply made for each other. And I was so sure…_

"Eric, I repeat, what the hell is going on? Why is Sookie in Bon-fucking-Temps and not in Sweden? What did you do?"

"Pam, fuck off! Just get there, and get to her! I'm getting the first flight out, but I'm afraid she'll do something stupid before I can get there." Eric hung up on her, and Pam hit the road within minutes. Bon Temps was a few hours away, but speed-limits rarely concerned Pam.

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><p>"Bill, I won't marry you until I get to see Jason." Bills dark eyes turned to her as she entered the kitchen from where he had been calling her. "And don't think you can make me, either, because last time I checked, abusing someone was still illegal, and I'm not afraid of telling." Sookie met his stare head on. On this, she was not budging.<p>

"Oh, my little honey-bunny, I wouldn't have to tie you up if you just gave yourself to me willingly. You know you love me, and you know you love what I do_ to_ you." Bill suggestively wiggled his eyebrows at her as he spoke.

"Really, Bill? You think I like what you do? And by the way, are those some new _skills_ you picked up from Lorena, or is it a side of you that's always been there, just hidden away?" Sookie cocked her head to one side and didn't even wait for his reply. "Because, Bill, you just suck in bed. Before, you were just boring, and now… Well, you're boring and selfish." Maybe baiting Bill wasn't the best approach to take, but Sookie was done being a victim. "Now, I'm gonna go talk to Jason about this mess, and you, Billy-boy… Well, really, just don't bother trying to stop me. This is the only way you'll get me to marry you." _I'm not marrying you at all, you moron, but you don't get to know that just yet. _She smiled as she turned to the door to leave. _Oh yeah, Sookie is back!_

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><p>Eric was fidgeting. He checked his watch every two minutes, and his hair was a mess from all the times he'd run his hands through it, trying to coax time to go by faster. He was on his last leg of the trip, and in about an hour he would be touching ground in Shreveport. He hadn't managed to get a hold of Pam since he left Sweden, and he was antsy as hell. Had Pam found her? Was she with Bill? He smacked himself mentally on the head for the thousands time. Why in hell did he not tell her about Isobel? She would have understood. Sookie would have recognized why he married her, why he'd stayed married to her. But the timing had never seemed right. <em>You don't go talking about your fake-marriage while making love to the woman of your dreams, now do ya?<em> Honestly, Eric had had a hard time even remembering the fact while he was around Sookie. She blew his mind! She consumed him, body and soul.

He had decided to go to Isobel to get her to sign the divorce-papers first, so that he could show them to Sookie when he returned to her. He had thought that the papers would prove his intentions of marrying Sookie, prove him to be honest in his wishes. He didn't want to be one of those guys. _Hey, honey, you're a great lay and I love ya. But I'm married; I promise I'll divorce her for you, sweetness._ Instead, his plan had back-fired on him. Fucking Bill Compton had shown up.

_Fucking Bill Compton._ Eric loathed the man although they had never met. What man in his right mind would screw his secretary when he had a woman like Sookie? _A moron, obviously_, Eric thought. But what in the world convinced Sookie to go back to the man? Eric got that she was upset with him, being secretly married and all, but why return to Bill? There had to be something else.

Finally, the plane begun its descent to ground, and Eric barely gave the wheels time to stop turning or the 'fasten-seatbelts-sign' time to go away, before he was on his feet, stretching his tall frame and grabbing his carry-on. As soon as it was possible, he was gonna try Pam, and then call information to get the number to Amelia. If Sookie had told anyone she was back, it had to be Amelia. And Amelia was certainly no fan of Bills, Eric knew as much. With Pam and Amelia on his side, he would pursue Sookie. Eric was a man on a mission, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let the woman of his dreams go riding into the sunset on someone else's horse. _Sookie is mine!_

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><p>"Sookie, do'ya know the tall, blonde sex-on-a-stick-looking woman currently getting out of her shiny Mercedes on our driveway?" Amelia called from the living room. Sookie could almost hear the purring sound vibrating through her friend all the way from the kitchen, where she was mixing up some iced tea. Sure, Amelia was crazy in love with Tray, but loved women too, blondes preferred. Leaving the pitcher on the table, she joined Amelia.<p>

"Yeah, that's Pam. Pam Korp."

"As in Pam, Nortch-Corp?"

"Yup, that's the one." Sookie opened the door to greet their guest. "Pam. Surprised to see you here. What can I do for you?"

"Apparantly, I'm here to sit on you." Pam's eyes immediately locked on Amelia. "Well _hello_, who are _you_?"

"I'm Amelia, and you can sit on _me_ anytime, honey." Amelia eyed Pam with equal hunger, and Sookie blushed involuntarily.

"Amelia! Really? This is my boss, well sort of."

Reluctantly, Pam tore her gaze from Amelia, and turned to Sookie. "And you, Ms. Stackhouse, care to explain to me why in hell Eric calls me and orders me to drive to Backwater Central and babysit your hot ass while I could be sipping a Bloody Mary right about now? Not that being here proved to be a total waste of my precious time…" Pam's eyes wandered back towards Amelia as she raised one perfect brow. "_Your_ ass is even hotter." A wicked smile accompanied the raised brow.

Sookie gave a deep sigh. "If you two could stop eye-fucking each other for a moment… Pam, can I get you some tea, maybe?" She went to the kitchen, and pulled another chilled glass from the freezer for Pam.

"So… Eric called you." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, he called. And what the fuck have you done to him?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I've never heard Eric sound so… I don't know- Human?" Pam shook her head in disbelief. "I've known Eric for years, and he never lets anything get to him, that's why he's so successful. But now… Honestly. What have you done?"

"Is Eric coming?" She had to know. If he was about to turn up here, she had to prepare herself. Falling for Eric was the easiest thing, and now she had to shield herself from him.

"Sookie, tell Pam what you told me about Bill, and Jason… And marriage. Both yours and others." Amelia nodded encouraging at her.

"Jason, that's my loser brother, has gotten himself indebted to Bill. Gambling, what else? Right. Bill will let him off the hook if I agree to marry him."

"What? Marry that asshole? Really, Sookie, are you going to ruin your life in order to get your brother off the hook? What about you and Eric?"

"What about us? There is no 'us'."

"Sure it is. You're made for each other!"

"That's what I thought, too. But what Eric forgot to mention is that he is married. I refuse to be the other woman." Sookie seethed at the thought. "Anyway, no, I'm not going to marry Bill. He's an abusive, unfaithful asshole, and I'm gonna press charges. What I need to do, though, is figure out how the _hell_ I'm gonna get Jason's ass out of trouble. Bill holds the deeds to Jason's house._ Our parents'_ house. I can't let him lose that."

"Maybe it's time for your brother to own up to his own mistakes? Man up and admit he's in trouble."

"Pam's right, Sookie. It's not the first time Jason has messed up, and you've saved him every time. He needs to grow up, honey."

"I know." Sookie wrung her hands in her lap. "I just can't let him lose the house, it's too important."

"Sookie, we'll help you figure this shit out, but for now let's get back to more important matters. Eric. You need to talk to him."

"I'm with Pam, Sookie, the man's got a right to explain."

"Explain what? He's married. End of story."

"Sookie… You and Eric. You hit it off, right? Like _really_ hit it off?" Pam looked serious for the first time today.

Sookie had to lower her eyes. "Yeah… I thought we did. He… I love him. I fell instantly. It was…" Tears began to sting her eyes and she tried to hide them. "… Heavenly. But…"

"Yeah, yeah, he's married. But other than that? You want Eric, right? Not Bill?"

"Don't even mention the two in the same sentence, Pam!"

"Answer me. Do you want Eric?"

"Yes. But he's not mine to have."

"Give him a chance to explain, Sookie. Isobel is Eric's story to tell, not mine, but it's not what it seems. Eric is a good guy. He always does the right thing. He's trying to, now. Will you please let him explain?" Pam begged.

* * *

><p>Thirty miles from Bon Temps, Eric was pushing the speed limit in his rented Mercedes. He couldn't get reception on his cell and anxiety tore through him faster than the car could go. With one eye on his phone to check on reception, and the other on the road ahead Eric's mind wandered as always to Sookie. <em>Why the hell did she just pack up and leave?<em> Bill told her about Isobel, and he knew Sookie would not take adultery lightly. _But why not stay and confront him about it? Why leave? Why immediately? _The only conclusion Eric could come to was that Bill had to have some sort of leverage on Sookie. But what?

Finally, the cell got full bars and he speed-dialed Pam. The call went straight to voicemail.

"Damn it!" He re-dialed and got voicemail once again. What to do next?

Information gave him the address to Amelia, and he entered it on the GPS. It would take him less than 20 minutes to get there, and he opted for a surprise visit instead of trying to call her. Surely, Sookie had been in contact with Amelia, and if Sookie had spilled the beans, he wanted face-to-face advantage when addressing the issues. He had to win Amelia over and then, hopefully, he could convince Sookie to listen. She had to listen, she had to believe him. If he had lost Sookie…_ No, don't go there._

Eric was a well-travelled man, and he enjoyed visiting and experiencing new places. He'd seen all kinds of places, from poor countries to prosperous cities, but the blistering heat of southern Louisiana almost knocked him down as he stepped out of the air-conditioned car outside an old, weathered farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. He removed his sunglasses and shaded his eyes with one hand as he glanced from the sleek Mercedes outside (_looks like Pam's here, does that mean..?)_ to eye the fenced-in porch. The front door creaked open and Pam stepped out, followed by an unknown, petit brunette.

"Eric" Pam said as greeting. "Meet Amelia. Amelia, this is Eric. We have to go now." Pam ushered Amelia in the car before Eric had time to extend his hand to greet the best friend of the woman he loved.

"But.,.." Eric's words were cut off as the front door opened again. Sookie remained inside, but had pushed the door open with one hand. He was floored by her beauty, but as he examined her a bit more carefully, he could see faint bruising on her left cheek and purple markings around her neck and what was visible of her wrists. His instant rage surprised him, and he ran over to her at the door, stopping as he saw her flinch. "Sookie…"

She met his eyes, held them captive with her own. He saw the question there, he saw the hurt, and he silently cursed himself for putting her through all this. "Sookie… Please, listen to me. Let me explain."

"You are married, right? What's there to explain, Eric?" He could hear the bitterness in her voice, but more evident was the agony she was trying to hide behind it. Before he had the chance to say anything, she let the door go and turned. She shot him a look across her shoulder. "But I've given Pam my word that I would hear you out, Eric. Coffee in the kitchen?"

_Thank God for Pam_. Eric threw a thankful thought at his friend. He followed Sookie inside the house, drew a big breath to steady him. This conversation would be the most significant one of his life so far. His future and his happiness depended on the outcome. _Would she hear him out? Would she listen? Would she forgive? _

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok, definitely a faster update this time, huh? The last chapter was difficult to write. I really don't like angst, but it had to be there. This one just kept on coming, seriously. I couldn't type fast enough! I have Ch. 10 almost ready too, but it needs some more work before I let you at it. Anyway, read and review, folks, R &amp; R.. Love it, simply love it. <strong>

**I think we have two more chapters to go, and possibly and epilogue, so this is the end stretch. If you have any suggestions, they are always welcome. **


	10. Chapter 10

"Ok, so let me get this straight" Sookie says, as she pours herself a second cup of coffee. She and Eric is at her kitchen-table, he on one side and her on the other. Between them, there are only two cups of coffee, and the vast plane of the table. "You ARE married, to Isobel. You married her when you both were 18? But you've never been married, by definition? Only on paper?"

"Isobel came to Sweden as a political refugee when she was sixteen. She had no family left alive; all of them had been slaughtered back in her country and she had fled on her own. And although she had every reason to be granted asylum in Sweden, somehow they denied her after dragging the decision on for two years. They threatened to put her on a plane back, and she would have been killed." Eric's eyes pleaded Sookie to understand. "I had to marry her, it was the only thing I could do to prevent her death."

Sookie believed him, and she nodded slowly. "Ok, I get that. I get that you married her to save her life. But why did you _stay_ married to her, all of these years? And _why_ didn't you tell me? Was it because you _knew_ I wouldn't sleep with you if I knew you're a married man? Eric…" Sookie slowly extended her hand across the table to gently touch his fingers. "If you had trusted me, and told me this story, I would have believed you, you know."

"That's the thing I regret the most, Sookie. I should have told you, and I should have told you where I was going and what I was doing…" His voice trailed off and he captured her hand in both of his, and caressed it. "The thing is… When I'm with you, I can't think straight. It's like my whole view, my brain and my body… Well, it's… Occupied. Completely. I see nothing else than you. I smell nothing else. I feel nothing else and… I…." Eric suddenly dropped her hands and stood. He ran an impatient hand through his hair and started pacing back and forth in the small kitchen. He needed to tell her, he needed her to know how much he wanted her, craved her. But for the first time in his life, he felt uncertain, and almost shy. What if she doesn't feel the same? What about Bill? He sighed. He was not used to this insecurity, but he knew. He loved her, no matter what. He would still love her if she choose Bill, even if she had chosen Bill already. He couldn't change his feelings. Eric stopped his pacing, and dragged his chair around the table and seated himself in front of her, their knees touching lightly. He gently stroked her cheek with his knuckles and waited until she met his eyes.

"Sookie… I love you. I need you. I can't imagine my life without you anymore. Please tell me I'm not too late."

Her eyes widened and the blue of her irises was completely surrounded by sparkling white. He could hear her breathing catch and then speed up, and her mouth, _that beautiful mouth_, opened slightly. She was silent, and Eric could feel his own heart pound in staccato, and his palms were slightly damp with anxiety. "Please, Sookie… Say something. Please, I'm so sorry, I should have told you… I love you. Please…"

Sookie could feel he body hum with electricity. It was like every nerve-ending, every synapse, every cell of her body was jolted back to life with his words. Her dead soul sprang to life as soon as she saw him getting out of the car in her yard, but his words re-animated her, made her feel again. The terror she had lived through, every agonizing second of Bill's cruelty, every doubt she had ever had… His words and the sincerity she saw in his eyes and felt in his tender caresses eradicated all of it. She was bruised and battered, but the pain was no longer important. It was there, it was hers, but at Eric's words it seized to matter. She had no idea why she knew she could trust his words, but she felt it, through-out her entire being, his words were true, and her soul sang to her, tendrils of her once shattered heart reached out and latched on to his. She felt so close to him, as if their beings, once two, was now joined to one. It was almost like a thread of light should appear between them, joining them in a tangible way. It was as if she had a direct line to his feelings because she felt them, as if they were her own. Dazed, she slowly raised her hand and extended it, letting it hover between them. Eric mimicked her actions, and their palms met, his large hand and long fingers dwarfing hers, and the electricity humming in the air suddenly exploded into lightning and both their breathing hitched from the power. Their eyes were locked together, and his blazing blues told Sookie everything she needed to know. He was hers.

With a physical need more urgent than anything Sookie had ever felt before, she closed the distance between them and gave him a kiss conveying everything she felt and everything she wanted him to know. Eric's arms went around her, feverishly trying to feel all of her simultaneously, and his strength made her feel safe, although she winced a little when his fingers brushed over the bruises left on her neck from Bill's torture. Eric, recoiled, and the anger she saw burning in his eyes at the realization of the pain she had been put through only set her more at peace. Eric had her, she was safe.

Eric studied her torso as he slid her top off her, and gently traced kisses over every mark and scratch he found. "Mine, Sookie. You're mine." Eric looked steadily in her eyes, and vowed: "Bill will pay."

"Later. We'll make him pay later. Now, make me your again." Sookie took Eric by the hand and led him through the old farmhouse, to her old bedroom where the bed was made up in soft, light yellow fabrics, and the sun made small particles of dust dance in front of the window.

Their love-making was slow and adoring, each touch telling the other of love and devotion, happiness and safety. His hands and body worshiped her, and made the world right once more. At the edge of bliss, before they leapt together, Sookie could feel her wounds close and heal; the bits and pieces shattered by cruelty, mended by the careful and honest love of her Eric.

He held her, as they both slowly descended back to reality, and his caresses soothed her ragged breathing.

"I love you, Sookie. More than anything in this world. And I want you to be mine in every sense of the word." Eric tilted her chin to make her look at him and continued: "In about a month, Swedish law will recognize my divorce. All the papers are signed." She watched him in confusion as he hastily got up from the bed, in glorious nudity and the beauty of a Norse God, to rummage through his pants left haphazardly in a pile on the floor. He returned to the bed, but instead of lying down beside her once again, he kneeled down and took her hand in his large one. "Sookie Stackhouse, I love you and will worship you 'til the day I die. Will you do me the extreme honor of becoming my first and only _real_ wife?" He extended his hand to reveal the most stunning ring she had ever seen, nothing at all like the huge diamond she had seen on Isobel's finger. Instead, this was more subdued, with intricate pearl and diamond patterns. "It was my grandmother's." Everything about it was perfect, just like Eric.

With tears in her eyes, all she could do was to gasp a breathless "yes" and then "Take me home".

**A/N: Sorry sorry sorry, after all of this waiting you had to do, is this really all I could come up with? Really, guys, I've been through hell with this one, please forgive me, R&R and maybe my muse will shorten her vacation in the Alps…**


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